Best Intentions
by Rat
Summary: Jackfan's story to end this one is now posted, find the link in chapter 9! An old 'friend' of Jack enlists the help of Ana Maria in a plot to gain information about a certain cursed box of gold. Deception, torture, and bickering are on the menu.
1. One

_This is the third instalment of an unintentional trilogy.  _

_A quick recap of things so far__… You don't have to have read anything previous of mine.  Just know in the last story Jack led Ana to believe he may be to get his way in something else, at which time she poured her heart out that she'd have liked to be more then friends.  He said nothing in response, and she got the point.  And she left the Pearl because she couldn't stand the thought of him manipulating every situation and not telling her what's going on anymore.  So, here we are about five months later….  They haven't seen each other since._

**__**

**_Intentions_**

**_Chapter One _**

Before even completely regaining consciousness, the stench made him gag.  Jack woke up fighting a headache and the familiar confusion of waking up in an unfamiliar place with no recollection of how he got there or why.  

The Pearl smelt like exotic spices.  It smelt rich and spicy, and he knew that even in the days she sailed under Barbossa's cursed flag she hadn't smelt this rotten.  Or evil.  Sure maybe the Pearl could get a little damp smelling at times, a little fishy maybe, but it was an honest seaworthy fishiness.  Nothing like the vile reek permeating the air around him now, and what made it even worse was that he recognised the smell.  He recognised this smell as well as he recognised scurvy or gangrene, you know it because you never want to have a smell like this on your own ship.  It smelt like a slavers ship.  

Looking around proved useless; whoever thought to throw him on the ship hadn't thought to provide a lamp and the resulting darkness proved absolute.  The wood under his hands felt worn and swollen with constant moisture and there was a puddle on the right.  Decomposition and rot permeated every breath he took and he forced himself to take slow steady breaths to hold down the bile rising in his throat.    

A sound to his left caught his attention.  It might have been overlooked as just another creaking and settling of the ship amongst all the other creaks, but this was different.  This was too subtle to be unintentional.  

"You wouldn't have any rum over there do you?"  He called out, keeping his voice light.  He heard a shuffle in response, then all of a sudden a muffled thud.  

"Rum?"  He listened again, and this time heard cursing.  Nope not a rat, unless it turned out to be an articulate rat with a vocabulary of curses.  

A small flicker of candlelight came into view offering the promise of sight, but it just made everything around him dance in a confusion of angles shadows.  "So it is you.  I wouldn't believe them when they told me they found you."  The voice whispered once it was through with cursing.  He still couldn't tell whether it was female, male, or what.  

"Do ye 'ave a name?"  The accent in his voice came out thick with the effort it took to stay detached.  

"Jack, you're an idiot."

"No, that's my name."  He crawled towards the voice and hit bars.  Now with something to focus on, he felt his way along the rusted metal to explore his space.  The bars ran from the wall and out for about four feet, and then long for six feet, and then back to the wall.  A very small space, and he assumed it wasn't originally built to hold people.  Slaver ships weren't built like this, and admittedly, the stench could come from any number of other amazingly horrid possibilities.  Why would anyone be interested in catching him and locking him below deck?  The Royal Navy came to mind, but he'd bet a hand this wasn't Navy.  

"How did they find you?"  

This time the voice sounded a little more distinct, and distinctly feminine.  "Ana Maria?"  

"Yes, how's your head?"  

His head felt slightly dizzy and he stopped exploring the bars and sat down.  Despite the lack of love at their last meeting, he couldn't remember doing anything bad enough warranting this kind of treatment.  "I heard you found a ship.  Is this it?"

"This isn't my ship."  

Jack stretched out a bit and leaned again the bars.  "Whose is it then?"  

"I can't explain right now."  She answered hurriedly.  Jack heard heavy boots stepping on wood and then a metal latch grinding on metal as a door opened.  Light flooded the darkened space as a large obese man descended the ladder with a lantern.  

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the added light, and whomever it was waited until the pirate stopped squinting.  "Well."  Jack drawled as he stood up and leaned forwards against the bars of his cage.  "If it ain't me old friend Granger Adams."  

"Captain now.  More'n you can say for yerself."  The man passed the lantern to Ana Maria and stepped close to Jack so that their noses were barely inches apart.  

The intimidation tactic didn't work as planned, seeing as Jack's attention focused squarely on Ana Maria, who now looked as un-Ana Mariaish as can be.  She wore her hair down and flowing around her shoulders (and it looked clean!), with large jewelled earrings hanging about her face, and a dress.  Not only a dress, but a poofy yellow dress.  By the way she looked squished in the middle he bet odds there'd be whalebone tied tightly around her waist too.  

A sword swung up and clashed against the bars.  Jack stepped back and turned his focus back to the man in front of him, now holding a sword.  "Last I saw of you mate, you were a shoemaker on his way back home to mother England."  

"And you were without a ship to captain.  Funny how things come in circles."  The man lowered his sword and scratched his ear with a large fat pinkie finger.  "I'm of the mind things'll go more in my direction this time."  He inspected the gob of wax he'd dug out before wiping it off on his already stained vest.  It didn't evade his notice that the pirate continued to be distracted by the female beside him.  This didn't please him in the least seeing as he wanted the attention solely for himself.  He rumbled deep in his throat and spat an impressive gob of phlegm between the cage bars.  There'd be time to catch his old friends attention later.  Plenty of time. 

But it seemed a shame to leave without setting a proper impression.  He reached into a pouch at his waist and withdrew a length of leather with little sharpened pieces of metal woven in to it.  "You recognise what this is from?"  He held it close to the bars to give the pirate a good look.  It looked like nothing more than a piece of leather to most people, but the slight widening of Jack's eyes told him the pirate knew it well enough.  "We'll have fun with this later."  He promised.  

Jack didn't respond.  Ana looked up at the door as she placed a hand on Captain Granger's shoulder, she needed a moment alone with Jack and intended to have it.  "I think the knock on his head did more damage than you anticipated."  She suggested.  "Unless you want him to die from infection before asking him your questions, I'd best see to that first."  

Knock on his head?  Jack raised his hand to touch the back of his skull and sure enough, he felt a lump.  Nothing serious, and nothing warranting the attention Ana Maria suggested, but it was there and Jack didn't remember getting it.  

"Then see to it."  Granger grumbled and turned on his heel to stomp out, leaving the lantern behind.  

Ana waited until the door slammed shut before sitting the lantern on the floor and turning her glare back towards Jack.  "You fool.  How could you let them catch you?"  

"Seeing as I don't remember the catching part, I'm not the one to tell you."  He quipped back.  Ana jammed a key into the lock and swung open the gate on the cage. 

"Get out here so I can look at your head."  

He stepped out and let her look.  "New dress?"

"Shut up.  There's more going on then you know." 

"Obviously."  He ducked a bit as she poked the swelling on his skull.  "Care to let me in on it?"  He turned back around and studied her again.

"Not yet, there isn't time."  She reached to prod his head again and he stopped her by wrapping a hand around her wrist.  

"Make time."  He insisted, still keeping a firm hold of her.  "How is it you're involved with a man like Granger?"

With her free hand, she slapped him.  "Don't you ever imply I'd become involved with that animal."

Jack reeled backwards from the blow and rubbed his sore cheek with exaggerated care.  "Why can't you women ever see clear to just answer the question?  A simple 'no, Jack, it's not what you think' would suffice.  Nonetheless, that's what it's looking like from this angle, luv."

"Then look harder."  Her voice softened and she placed a hand on his shoulder.  "Jack, you have to go back in the cage."  

He stepped back and watched her close the door and lock it.  She said nothing further before climbing the ladder and taking the lantern with her, leaving him once again alone in the dark.  

_Thanks muchly with a big hug to Jackfan2 for beta reading and talking me through the bad parts.  Llike I've said before, the mistakes are all mine.  _

_And thanks to Midnights Shadow for the review you sent to Chapter ten.  You are completely right, Ana doesn't walk away from any challenge, and Jack is about the biggest challenge she's ever faced.  _

_More chapters are coming, please let me know what you think. If you don't review then I can't steal what you've reviewed to use in my story!  So please help me out and let me know what you think!!!!!  _


	2. Two

**_Chapter Two_**

Memory is an itch.  A huge festering rash that encompasses you whole.  

For the past five months that rash of memory ate at Jack like a poison, and he chose rum as his cure.  Not that rum wasn't already the cure to a number of other complaints, but it should have been good enough to cover just one more.  

With Ana gone, Jack was left to find another first mate, and naturally the position fell towards Mr Gibbs, who refused the title in a heartbeat.  It wasn't that the didn't like the idea of being first mate on a ship like the Pearl to a Captain like Jack, he just didn't feel that Ana's place was the one for him to take considering recent events.  

In reality, Gibbs did become first mate of the Pearl in all but name, and he steadfastly refused to adapt the title seeing as he'd be demoted out of it as soon as the girl got it in her head to return.  In the months following Ana Maria's departure the Pearl took on more riches then any of the crew ever dreamed possible as one merchant ship after another surrendered it's value at the sight of Sparrow's flag billowing in the wind.  

But what good are riches when you've no desire to enjoy them?  The routine of the Pearl did not change, they took port in the smaller out of way coves where legitimate merchants didn't bother to sell and the folk were more than willing to take their spices and expensive cords of fabric in trade of food, ale, lodging, and hospitality.  

The Captain of the Pearl accompanied his crew to the taverns and drank more than his fair share of rum, but Gibbs could see that the spirit was no longer there.  This was the bad luck he saw coming right from the beginning when he warned Jack the danger of bringing a woman aboard.  Not that he blamed Ana Maria in the affair, she couldn't help being female any more than Jack could help being a pirate.  

They caught snippets of information now and then, and he saw the look on Jack's face when he heard Ana took a ship of her own.  It wasn't anything like the pearl, just a small merchant caravel with barely enough cannons to hold it's own, but even with that little spit of a ship she managed to build a fast reputation of getting what she wanted.  The Captain hid any interest in the news, buts could see a flash of pride sweeping across Jacks face.  Whatever happened between them, Jack wished her no ill will.

If fact, Gibbs could see a fair bit of concern on his Captains face months later when they caught another hint of rumour regarding the female Pirate.  No one could say what became of her little ship, but her crew was looking for new employment with a story about Ana Maria taking on an advisory role to a man named Captain Granger Adams.  Gibbs sat and drank along side his Captain for the better part of the night without a word spoken between them, but he knew without a doubt Jack didn't like the sound of the rumour.  

The rest of it happened fairly quickly after that; the talk about a bounty set on Jack's head (_instructions detailed the head being intact with the rest of the body and still breathing required for payment_) by Captain Granger, the talk that Ana Maria played a more than advisory role to her new Captain, and the jokes that hinted at her more than complimentary role she played to her old Captain, wink-wink, nudge-nudge.  Jack took it all in stride, he didn't confirm or deny or seem to care at all.  

The end of it all came in Tortuga.  Gibbs wasn't there for the incident, but he heard it told in fine detail.  Jack was recognised in the Faithful Bride, not so unlikely an event seeing as everyone knew Jack in Tortuga, and the bounty was mentioned.  There was a fight.  Jack fought, and the crew who came to the tavern for a drink fought along side him.  A boy died.  From the way Gibbs heard it, the kid hadn't even been involved on either side and no one knew who dealt the killing blow, but it looked like a dagger thrown across the room missed it's target and had the bad luck of finding the boy in his hiding place beneath a table.  The body wasn't found until the next day and the quantity of blood spilled suggested a slow death.

Jack made his decision that day.  He would deal with the bounty from Granger, and he intended to deal with it alone.  Gibbs received orders to sail the Pearl to Jackson Cove, partake in all festivities available, and wait.  Jack promised to meet him there within a month or to send word.  

And now Jack wondered if he'd be able to do either.  It was hard to determine the passage of time down in the hold of Captain Adams ship, but he could be fairly certain that whatever time it was, it felt like much longer.  Since seeing Ana Maria and Granger the day before a thousand different and contradictory possibilities and probabilities took shape in his mind, and he felt fairly confident that the entire goal here had to be more then to just lock him down in this smelly pit and wait for him to die.  Why offer a bounty with a no-kill-or-no-money clause in it if your only intention was to see the prisoner die of dehydration before taking the opportunity to gloat?  

There didn't seem be to enough hours in the day to fix the latest catastrophe, and remaining docked in Tortuga didn't help.  Catastrophe wasn't the word for it though, and Ana spent much of the day trying not to dwell on the reality of the situation by trying to think up the proper term to describe it as.  

Disaster seemed to fit quite nicely.  Or calamity.  Maybe something along the lines of… she paused her thought as she hiked up her skirt to step over a line of rigging.  Freaking skirt got in the way so often she was temped to take a knife at it to hack away the excess puffiness.  Thank goodness Caption Granger seemed eager to get their business in Tortuga done as quickly as possible so she could scrap the insidious getup.  She needed to talk to Granger again to try and make him see reason.  His entire plan resolved around questioning Jack for information, and she feared whatever personal vendetta he held against Jack influenced his actions towards the extreme.  

Concern over Jack's well being led to her involvement in the bloody mess to begin with.  She found Granger in his cabin, and knocked.  He bellowed for her to come in, and slowly she entered the dim cabin, taking her time to adjust to the stale air within.  It felt like entering a piss house, and how any human being managed to survive in such filth was beyond her.  

"What are your plans for Sparrow?"  She demanded bluntly.  

Captain Adams leaned back on the bench and rested his hands on his ample belly.  "What is it to you?"

"I know the man; using coercion will get you nowhere."  

"And that means what?"  

Ana sighed and braced a hand on a cabinet to give her the mental endurance to deal with this idiot for yet another day.  "It means, the more you try to get Jack Sparrow to do something, the less likely he is to do it."

Granger seemed to think on that for a minute.  "Well, lets just revise the whole schedule to suit Sparrows needs then.  Tell me, does he prefer caviar or calamari?"

"You know what I'm saying."  

Granger laughed.  "Sparrow will stay where he is."  He became serious and narrowed his eyes.  "I expect to be introduced to the contacts you promised me."  

"Of course, you'll be introduced to each and every one of them by nightfall."  She agreed.  "What of your new passenger in the mean time?"  

Granger shrugged.  "He'll keep."  He heaved his considerable mass off the bench and lifted a ring of keys off a hook on the wall.  Ana Maria followed him on deck and watched as he slid a padlock through the hatch leading down to the hold.  With the door securely locked, Ana felt reasonably confident she could trust Granger's crew not to torment the prisoner down below in her absence.  All the same, she intended to return as quickly as possible.

Quickly apparently has several meanings.  According to Captain Adams, "quickly" consisted of a full meal in an upscale tavern, followed by a few rounds of drinks loosen up the locals.  Wearing the ridiculous girly dress cost Ana Maria a few looks from patrons who recognised her, and though no one dared comment, she knew what they were thinking.  What in the hell is Ana Maria doing wearing a ridiculous girly dress, was what they were thinking.  And what could she answer?  Even Tortuga has an elite, and if they felt more comfortable hobnobbing with women in dresses rather than sensible pants, that was their problem most of the time.  This time it seemed to have become her problem.  

Her dearly departed husband's brother ran a brothel on the west side, an upscale brothel supported by only the best Navy and Lordly patrons the lure of willing female company can draw.  The fact that the best and wealthiest also often accompanied a sordid list of peculiar fetishes and vices, the specialty of the house, didn't hurt patronage either.  For the right coin, the brother-in-law provided whatever disgusting fantasy a man cared to pay for.  

So Ana wore the embarrassing piece of fluff knowing it would be the only way to gain entrance to the house in order to introduce Granger to another highly expensive and sought after piece of Tortuga commerce; information.  The women working on their backs were compensated well for any bits of gossip coming from their clients.  The more interesting the information; the more worthy the compensation.  

That is, Ana intended to introduce Granger to her brother-in-law should the man ever manage to pry himself away from the drinking and blustering he managed to surround himself with for the past several hours.  Minutes grew into hours, and late afternoon grew into evening and finally night.  Sometime during the endless minutes of waiting Ana picked up a drink to help pass the time, and the more time that passed the more help she needed passing it.  

When the sun finally rose early the next morning, Ana found herself comfortably curled up beside a barmaid in a closet off the kitchen.  A pretty young barmaid who looked way too young for her twenty odd years.  

The girl stirred and smiled fondly up at Ana Maria.  "Good morning."  Her voice sounded sweet, young, and slightly rough from sleep with an accent that danced with Irish lilt. 

"Hi."  Ana ran her hands down her dress in an effort smooth out some of the wrinkles.  "And you would be?"

"Molly."  The barmaid shifted to find a more comfortable position in the cramped space.  "We met last night."  

"Yeah, about that."  Ana didn't quite know what to say.  She remembered speaking with the girl, but she couldn't remember anything about crawling into a closet with her.  All in all, she felt extremely awkward.  

But the girl laughed.  "You don't remember, do you?"

"That depends on what's to be remembered."  She hoped to god this wasn't turning out the way it seemed to be.  That would make her no better than a man, and that notion made her feel sick to the stomach.  

"I had a bit of difficulty last evening with one of the patrons, and you gave me a hand to hide.  And you spoke of Jack Sparrow.  You told me you knew where to find him, and I've been looking for him!  It's a remarkable coincidence, don't you think?"  

"Tortuga is a small place."  The sick feeling in Ana's stomach reared in full force, in fact it was she who heard the girl speaking of Jack first and that was what caught her attention.  "You're looking for Jack?"

The girl nodded vigorously.  

"And you would be what?  A daughter or an old girlfriend?"  Ana fervently hoped the answer would be none of the above, and seeing as the girl only looked confused by the insinuation, Ana felt some relief.  "Why are you looking for him?"

The excitement on the girls face became somewhat doubtful.  "He told me say hello should I ever find myself in the Caribbean, and here I am!"  

"A friend of his?"  Ana relaxed a bit more as she remembered more of the previous evening, and recalled a distinct lack of anything untoward happening inside the closet other than sleeping.

"Yes, definitely."  

"Then can you do something for me?  Something important?"  

"Anything."  

"Go to Port Royal.  There is a blacksmith there named Will Turner.  I want you to give this to him, he'll know what to do with it."  She placed a folded piece of paper ripped from a logbook into the girl's hand.  "Can you read?"

"I'm not ignorant.  Got here all the way from London on me own wits, I did."  She stated proudly. 

"But can you read?"

"No."  The girl finally admitted.  

"Good.  Don't try to read it, and don't let anyone else read it before giving it to Turner.  Understood?"

"Yes, in Port Royal.  Will I find Jack after that?"

"If we're lucky."  Ana knelt down again and took the girls hand in her own.  "Will you do me one more favour?"  

"If I can."  

"Will Turner has a fiancé, or maybe a wife by now for all I know.  Her name is Elizabeth, and I want you to ask her for a placement in her household.  Tell her Ana Maria vouches for you."  She pulled a small pouch from a pocket in her skirt and handed it to the girl.  "This will be enough to see you to Port Royal safely."

Finding Granger Adams proved to be no great feat.  He lay sprawled beneath a table with a puddle of vomit pooled beside his face and dried in his hair.  Not willing to touch him or get too close, Ana stretched out a leg and prodded his hip.  The man didn't move, and so Ana tried again a little harder.  Still no result.  Without a qualm, Ana tried again with a full fledged kick to the man's backside, this time getting her desired result of waking the brute.

But it didn't get him moving any faster.  It took until noon for Granger to get anywhere near ready to make his way to the brothel and by then Ana felt ready to just push a sword through his gut out of frustration.  While Granger wasted time eating yet another helping of lunch, Ana couldn't help but think about Jack locked in the hold of Granger's ship the Avenger. 

It took the rest of the afternoon to pry Granger away from the tavern.  As they neared the house Ana started feeling queasy, this was a part of her life she'd left behind her on the day she found her husbands corpse on the beach.  His family never had much use for her when he'd been alive, what made her think they'd be cooperative now?

Blood may be thicker than water, but Ana forgot about the promise of gold being thicker yet.  At the sight of Ana dressed in respectable clothing and bearing new clientele any past sins or grudges were put aside and replaced with capitalist spirit.  

"That's it.  I'm going back to the ship."  

Both Granger and Duke, the brother-in-law, stared at Ana as though they couldn't remember why she bothered to hang around this long.  She didn't need any more encouragement to walk out the door and slam it shut behind her.  

It wasn't until she was already back on the Avenger that she realised Granger still held the key to the lock on the hatch for the hold Jack was being kept in.  She seriously considered going back to get the key from him, and if this night went anything like the last, the man wouldn't be returning until sometime late the next day.  

Picking the lock could defiantly become an option.  She didn't know if she could do it, having never done it before, but how hard could it be?  Not now with the crew watching, but later, under the cover of night she could sneak back and work on it.  For the time being, she just needed to be patient, and change her clothes.  She considered the possibility of taking a dagger to the horrid dress, just to avoid the possibility of ever having to wear it again.  The idea definitely held merit.  

It felt like the entire past couple of days were spent waiting, and as the sun slowly set on the horizon Ana wondered if the waiting would ever end.  She needed to see Jack again, just to know he was still okay.  This evening would bring it to over thirty hours without food or water, and being trapped below deck in this heat and humidity with only the fouled air to breathe had to be taking it's toll.  When night did fall, she found herself waiting even longer as the crew set out their bedrolls on the deck.  She had to step over five bodies to get to the hatch, and even then there were still three men within immediate view.  

She lied out her bedroll, pretending to get ready for sleep.  With one hand she fingered a small metal pick and hoped it would be enough.  The end of it fit in the lock perfectly, and what was it she saw Jack do a couple times?  It occurred to her that she never saw Jack successfully pick a lock before, and so for at a loss as to how to proceed she joggled the pick in the lock a bit.  Nothing happened.  No lock opened.  She tried some more, still no luck.  Eventually she worked on it with both hands, no longer caring whether the other crewmembers might spot what she was doing.  

Nothing worked.  The lock remained intact, and aside from taking a hammer to it, an act that would likely get her thrown off the ship, her options dwindled to waiting it out.  

Trying to keep busy grew more difficult the next day.  The humid heat permeating the air stuck to the skin and clothing while the sun baked everything in sight.  Water was a necessity on a day like this, and every time she scooped a cup out of the barrel to drink, she felt guilty for being able to do so.  As the sun reached its apex, the long boat bringing Captain Adams back to the Avenger finally came along side the ship and the men threw down the ropes to haul the man aboard.

Not a word was spoken when he came aboard, rather he simply turned and stalked towards his cabin.  Ana Maria placed herself in his path to block the way.  

Desperation made her bold.  "You'll get no information from Sparrow if he's dead."  She stated bluntly.  

He shrugged and tossed her the key.  "Let him know I plan to visit him before nightfall."  He smiled in anticipation of the experience and continued towards his cabin.  

Ana didn't waste any time.  She grabbed a jug of water and unlocked the hatch.  The oppressive heat hit her in a wave as the door opened, and she had to turn her head away from the stench attached to it.  No sound came from below, and she took an extra second to find a lantern before climbing down.  

She placed the lantern on the floor and approached the cage.  He lay on his back on the floor with the hat pulled slightly over his eyes as though he were just taking a short nap.  She unlocked the cage and stepped in beside him.  

Slowly, he moved one arm up and adjusted the hat over his face to block his eyes from the glare, and glared at her.

Ana rocked back on her heels.  She expected this, really she did.  She thrust forward the jug of water.  Jack didn't move to take it, but he did open his mouth to speak.  His voice came out as a raspy croak.  With obvious frustration, he pushed himself up and grabbed the jug of water to take a long drink.  

He choked on it.  Drinking too fast and too much.  Ana didn't offer any assistance as he sat coughing; she knew it wouldn't be welcome.  Once the coughing subsided, he took another more careful drink of water.  "How long?"

"What?"

"Has it been since you were last here?"    

"Two days."  

He looked to be counting something on his fingers.  "What happened to the dress?"

"I killed it.  Jack, you weren't supposed to get caught."

"And you weren't supposed to start working for Granger.  So I guess we're both doing things we aren't supposed to be doing."

_To be continued_

_Authors note: just thanking my beta Jackfan2 is getting a little boring, it's the same thing over and over and over again, thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks.  _

_So here's a great big bottle of Rum for my beta reader instead!  Drink up!  _

_And here's another bottle for everyone who's reviewed my stories and is still hanging around!  _

_Now, lets dance around the fire and sing a bit!     __We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot; Drink up my hearties! Yo Ho! We kidnap and ravish, and don`t give a hoot; Drink up my hearties! Yo Ho! Yo Ho, Yo Ho , a pirates life for me. ___


	3. Three

**Chapter 3**

Our life is harder sometimes than death,

Whatever you make of it,

And beautiful as well

Death has not changed my opinion. 

Eleni Vakalo

A sailing boat passed through the harbour and in the darkness and it could not help but catch the eye.  A full moon hung high with its companion Venus trailing close behind bringing greyish outlines to everything normally hidden so late a night.  Life is full of perfect moments if you see them, and Jack saw this one.  He wasn't too certain what made him think of it now, perhaps being locked in the damn hold of this stinking barge made him more contemplative than usual, but he doubted it.  He just needed to remind himself for a moment what it was all about.  

A perfect moment is standing at the helm of your own ship and being free to go wherever you please.  It's the salt sea wind in your face, the billowing of sails all around you, and the water rushing past and spreading apart in the wake.  

"I am not working for Granger."  Ana insisted.  

Jack frowned a second, Ana's words cut into his thoughts like a sharpened dagger into yielding flesh.  "He is the Captain, and you are on his ship.  Unless you're here in another capacity?"  

It was pointless playing this same game again and so Ana decided to come right out with it.  "Granger is looking for the Aztec gold."  

"And you told him we got rid of it?"

"Right.  He doesn't believe me.  He's been to the Island and so he's aware it's been moved."  

"Who took him to the island?"  

"I did.  I did it to avoid all this Jack!"  She swept her arm around the hold.  "The last thing I wanted was for you to get caught in this mess too."  

"And how were you caught in this?"

"He attacked my ship.  We put up a good fight, but not good enough.  The only agreement I could come to that wouldn't have my crew slaughtered consisted of me showing him the island."  

Jack drank some more water, but declined to comment.  There was still more he wanted to know, and he knew that given time Ana Maria would tell him what she could.  

How could she explain to Jack everything that happened since loosing her ship?  "I was the easier target.  I couldn't give him what he wants, and now he has you."

"Because what kind of pirate would I be if I disposed of the treasure."  Jack considered his options.  "He sank your ship?"

"Sort of."  She could see he wanted more.  He wanted to know what happened after her ship sank, how did she end up being such a willing accomplice to Granger's plans.  She didn't want to start thinking about that and so she changed the topic back to his predicament.  "He's planning to see you before night fall."

Jack looked up towards the closed hatch where only the barest amount of light seemed through.  "And that would be when?"

"Its shortly after noon now, so there's some time yet."  She reached out and took Jack's hand for a moment.  "I'll think of something before then."  She pushed herself up.  Locking the cage made her feel physically ill, but she swallowed her nausea and stood tall.  The heat and stench of the hold reminded her of those few days she'd been the one locked in that cage and she stubbornly pushed down the unwelcome memory.  

"Ana."  She turned back before ascending the ladder.  "Don't do anything stupid, right luv?"  His voice was filled with genuine concern.

If doing something stupid worked, then she'd do it.  She knew that whatever Granger had planned for Jack was a thousand times worse then anything he did to her, and thinking of that now made her all the more scared for Jack's well being.  

And she had a right to be scared.  Granger sat cosily in his cabin sharpening an assortment of tools he created over the years.  They lay on his table on a black cloth, lined perfectly straight in a row, hooks and barbs all facing left.  Each tool shined with polish and careful craftsmanship.  This now was his trade; he designed and constructed these blades for only one purpose, for extracting.  That was what he preferred to call it.  This was his art, his forte, as they called it in some places.  

He took his art seriously, and he prided himself on working slowly.  However, he did not consider himself a patient man, and when he wanted something bad enough, he took it.  He rolled the tools back into the cloth and slid them into his vest pocket.  It was time.


	4. four

**__**

**_Chapter 4_**

It was time.  

Granger felt like a child with a boxed present.  This was the anticipation that made life worth living when everything else started to get dull.  He waved two of his men over to his door and invited them inside.  

These were his men, his friends he might call them if he cared enough, which he didn't.  They were the constant in his meandering life up to now, they were his heavies and they understood a good time when one was to be had.  They played the game just as well as he did, and he admired them for that.  But as usual, rules need to be set.  Guidelines.  

"He lives."  Granger ordered.  He picked at a dried piece of bread that somehow glued itself to his tabletop in the last few weeks.  "This ones for fun, but he's also holding information.  The information is the top priority here, and I need him conscious and able to speak at the end of it.  Understood?"

His men nodded.  They'd done this before and they knew the drill.  

On their way to the hatch, Granger found himself being waylaid by his other prize.  It still amazed him that she continued to stick around his ship after practically offering her escape.  She could have taken off on several occasions in Tortuga, and yet, here she was.  He wondered briefly if she thought she could fool him.  He knew what made her stay; the new prisoner in the hold held her attention every waking moment.  

Now she abandoned her work on the rigging and rushed to block their path to the hatch. 

She opened her mouth to speak, and Granger considered his options.  Listen to her, or shut her up.  He didn't need to flip a coin; he opted to shut her up.  One swift swing of his fist connected with the side of her head, and she fell to the boards like a sack of flour.  It pleased him to know she could be so easily beaten.  

At this moment with her lying unconscious at his feet, her helplessness excited him.  He knelt by her head and brushed a lock of hair away from her face.  She didn't flinch.  He took her hand gently in his own and ran a finger slowly across her palm; he felt her heart beating slow and steady beneath his fingers.  

Ah, the possibilities were endless at a time like this, but there were other more pressing matters on his mind.  He slowly regained his feet, and felt his old bones and muscles aching from the effort.  Soon, all that would change.  He wouldn't have to worry about growing old, if Sparrow cooperated, and he intended to have Sparrow's total cooperation.  

His men opened the lock and descended, Granger followed.  This would be fun.  

…..

Ana woke up with her head aching.  There was no slow returning to consciousness, but a falling sensation as every nightmare she ever dreamed took root in her soul all at once.  She didn't stop Granger.  She could have, if he'd just listened to her she would have convinced him she'd get the information from Sparrow herself.  None of this was necessary; she knew that if she could just talk with Jack for a little longer they could figure a way out of this.  

Low voices travelled up the through the hatch catching her attention, but she couldn't decipher the individual words.  From the look of the sun sitting low on the horizon, Ana feared how long she'd been out cold.  Slow and careful to make as little sound as possible, Ana descended the ladder.  

The cage was empty and the door left open, and the hinges screamed in protest as the door swung back and forth with the rocking of the ship.  Jack sat on his own in a far corner, his head tilted forward and his hair hanging in his face hiding any expression.  He raised his head and the look in his eyes stopped Ana in her tracks.  Their history together dictated the meaning; his warning to stay put.  Then without missing a beat, Jack returned his attention and focused on Granger. 

Jack moved with casual grace, he raised one knee and rested an arm stretched out towards Granger with an ease that he might have used while relaxing on the Pearl.  He spoke softly with a hint of mockery, and as he talked, his wrist moved in tune to his voice.  "And the monkey's name was Jack, named after yours truly of coarse.  I don't remember seeing it on the Navy ship, so I'm guessing he's still on that island.  Maybe you saw him on your visit?"  

"No."  Granger leaned nonchalantly against a post.  

"We sank the gold mate."  Jack's casual demeanour slipped for a second and a trace of the exhaustion he felt, found it's way into his voice.  

"You will tell me what you did with it."  Granger stepped forward and crouched in front of the pirate.  "We both know you will.  Remember the East India Trading Company, they had some fun with you, didn't they?"

Jack shrugged.  "You seem to know.  Why don't you tell me?"

The two crewmen advanced and hauled Jack to his feet, holding tightly to his arms to keep him from struggling.  He didn't struggle; he stood between the men and kept his gaze level with Granger.  

Granger pulled his cloth of tools out from his pocket.  "I like to keep these for later in the game."  He unrolled the cloth and held the contents out for Jack to see.  I want you to know what you have to look forward to if you remain uncooperative.  He chose one knife with a long curved blade and touched it to the inside of Jack's elbow.  The pirate didn't move.  Granger pressed the point carefully against Jack's skin at an angle, to show how it would be inserted.  However, he only wished to demonstrate the usage of the tool.  He held no intention of doing the act, just yet.  "Have you ever considered how a fish feels when it is caught on a hook and hauled out of the water?"  

He withdrew the knife and folded it neatly back into the cloth with the others.  "Where is the gold Jack?"

"At the bottom of the sea."  

Granger laughed.  The crewmen wrenched Jack's arms behind his back and tightly wrapped a coarse leather rope around his wrists.  They then threw the free end over a beam on the ceiling and increased the tension.  

"I've heard you are quite the marvel with a sword."  Granger commented.  

They all knew what this was.  Ana felt her breath catch in her throat.  She never saw it done before, but she heard of it.  The victims hands were tied behind the back and then raised off the ground by the rope tied to their wrists.  Left hanging with their arms extended unnaturally, the torture consisted of being dropped short distances at a time.  The strain would dislocate the victim's arms, causing a great amount of pain and permanent injury.  

They increased the tension on the rope until Jack's feet were off the ground, and they were about to raise him even higher.  Jack didn't say a word; he just seemed to be waiting.

She couldn't just stand back and watch this happen.  A length of discarded board in the corner caught her eye, and she didn't let herself think about it.  In two steps she held the board in her hand like a club, and she took action.  

The wood solidly connected with the back of the head of the crewman holding the rope.  Surprised by the attack he released his hold and stumbled forward.  Several things happened at once after that, the injured crewman fell, the uninjured crewman rushed forward to restrain Ana, and Jack fell.  Ana evaded the attack and swung again, she aimed low this time, knowing he'd expect the swing to be high.  She aimed perfectly to catch him in the groin, and with a howl, the second crewman crumpled to his knees.  

In the midst of the short battle, she lost sight of Granger.  He stood behind her, and before she could turn around to face him, she felt herself pushed forwards from a blow to her lower back.  She fell to her knees from the shock, and lost hold of her makeshift weapon.  She could hear Granger step closer, and out of the corner of her vision she saw him lift his foot, preparing for a kick.  She couldn't move.  The pain in her back seemed to spread though every part of her body, paralysing her.  She closed her eyes.  

The blow never came.  

Jack regained his feet, and with his hands still bound behind his back, rushed into Granger, connecting his shoulder to the larger man's chest.  At the same time, the crewman Ana sent down with the blow to the head, was slowly getting up again.  He caught Jack from behind with a fist to the ear, and Jack fell. 

Granger turned his attention back to Ana long enough to follow through with the kick he'd intended, and she rolled to her side gasping for the breath it knocked out of her.  Then he turned to Jack.  She tried to move, to do something to intervene as the men surrounded Jack, but her lungs burned from the effort just to breathe.  Dark spots started blurring her vision, and then nothing.  

_Authors note:  This is not a happy little fic.  Maybe it will become one, but I can make no promises.  Sorry for the doom and gloom, I promise to eat my happy pills with breakfast before posting chapter five.  It might work, I might need a higher doses.  Honestly, I found it hard to write this, and if jackfan2 (my lovely and talented Beta) had her way, it would have been much worse.  As it is…  _

_Oh, where has everyone gone?  Are you still reading?  I'm feeling a little lonely.  (Just ask Jackfan2, she has to deal with me moaning – what did I do to drive them all away???  Was Chapter two that bad???) _

_ Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, I really appreciate the feedback. I will quit whining now.  Rum, need more rum.  That's it isn't it?  You drank all my rum and took off.  I knew it had to be something.  Or maybe I smell funny? _

_Sniff, sniff?_


	5. Five

**_Chapter Five_**

"I told you not to do anything stupid."  

Ana didn't want to wake up, but her body would no longer ignore the pain shooting down her back, or the pressure against her chest.  She coughed slightly and regretted it, coughing made her chest feel like it might split apart at the sternum.  

"Ow."  She muttered slightly.  "They're gone?"

"They and the light."  His voice sounded somewhat strained and she felt him shift against her.   "Can you move?"

She stretched experimentally.  "I can move."  

"Good.  Cause much as I appreciate the cuddle, I've lost all feeling to my toes."  

"Oh, sorry."  She moved to the side and freed his legs from under her.  

An uncomfortable silence followed.  They both knew the situation from here looked grim, and idle chatter seemed a little pointless.   

Ana wiggled into a better position to ease some more tension off her back.  

The space seemed small before the two of them were squeezed into it, but despite the aches and bruises, Jack didn't mind.  In fact, all that wiggling going on beside him only took his mind off said aches and bruises.  He stretched and deftly manoeuvred his arm around Ana's back.  Admittedly not the most inspired move he ever made, but options were limited.  

"I'm not sorry I left you Jack."  

Apparently, his moves weren't in vain, but he hoped for a more positive reaction than this.  "Didn't think you would be."  

"You should have seen her.  She was a beautiful ship."  

"I've no doubt she was."  

She felt Jack's hand resting on her shoulder and restrained the immediate instinct to shrug him off.  It occurred to her that perhaps he might need the comfort of human contact even more than she did.  With this in mind she finally got around to asking what she dreaded to hear.  "I only remember so much of what happened.  You defended me from Granger, but what happened after?"

He laughed.  "Not much of a defence, but they've given up for the day it seems."  A short silence followed.  "About my hat."  

"Your hat?"

"My hat."  He cleared his throat a bit.  "It's just a hat, but it's a comfortable hat, and when you've being wearing something that comfortable, you forget what it's like not wearing it.  And that not wearing it, isn't so comfortable as wearing it."

"Uh-huh."

Her grunt of semi-understanding lent him the confidence to continue his analogy.   "So this hat, it took off on me a while back."

"You could get a new hat."

"But a new one wouldn't be the comfortable one."  He explained.

"You'll get used to it."  

Jack frowned.  Did she know he wasn't really talking about hats?  "Then it's for the best.  I'll find a better hat."  He stayed very still waiting for her answer.  She didn't say anything.  "And the new one will become as comfortable as the old one, after a time."  When she still did not respond, he pushed it farther.  "Soon enough, it'll be like the old hat never even existed." 

He felt her move to the side, and twist.  Moments later something hard whacked him on the side of his head.  

"You damn hat isn't lost, its right here."  She shifted away a bit, but he hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her back close.  

"You're the one who did the leaving, remember?"  He whispered into her ear.  

Ana pushed him off.  "And I don't regret it, remember?"

"I remember.  You left the Pearl less one first mate, a position still not filled."

"Maybe you should give it to your new hat."  

"Forget the hat!"

"You're the one who brought it up."  She countered.  "I know exactly what you're trying to get at Sparrow, and I don't want it.  I've missed you, I really have.  I did what I could, it wasn't enough, and now here we are!"  She slammed her fist against the cage bars.  "He's going to kill you."  

"No, he's going to torture me.  There's a slight difference between the two as I recall."  

"How can you joke about this?"  

"Would you rather fight about it?"

"I'd rather not accept it, is what."  She hated not being able to see his face or mannerisms while talking to him.  "Damn it Jack, this isn't the way it's supposed to be."

"Nothing ever is, luv."  


	6. Six

**_Chapter SIX_**

Company returned sooner than expected.

And with company came light.  Ana blinked against the glare at first, but once her eyes adjusted, she caught sight of Jack sitting beside her.  From talking, she assumed he was okay because he sounded okay.  Now with the light to see by Ana had to revise that assumption.  He looked worse now than she'd ever seen him, including the day she found him washed up on the beach after the storm.  His ear looked especially bad, swollen and caked in dried blood.

Granger stood alone in the hatchway and stared down at the prisoners in the cage.  Slowly he descended into the hold and stepped up to the metal bars.  "Ready for more?"

Jack grinned up at him from where he casually reclined on the floor.  "Ready when you are."  

"Stand up."  

Slowly, and with deliberate ease, Jack rose to his feet.  "I've been thinking.  We both know that once you've got your little knives stuck in the right spots, I'll be begging to cut off my grandmother's thumb to give you her ring.  Therefore, we might as well come to an agreement before either of us does anything we might regret later.  You're right about the gold."

Granger cast a glance to Ana.  "She claims you sank it."  

Jack shrugged.  "Consider my luck in first mates.  What would you do?"

"Where is it?"

"If you were me, would you tell you?  The location of said treasure is the only thing between me and a shark snack, is what I'm thinking."  

Granger thought about that.  "And the closest port would be?"

"Port Royal." With a direction to sail in, Granger left to give the appropriate orders.

Jack watched Granger climb the ladder and swing the hatch closed behind him, and this time in the man's haste to set a new course he left the lantern behind.  The offered little comfort and they both agreed the hold looked much better, when it couldn't be seen.  

"He'll be expecting a double cross.  What are we going to do when he doesn't find the gold?"  Ana remained still during Granger's short visit, and even now she sounded somewhat apathetic.  

Jack sat back down, choosing a spot as far from Ana as he could manage.  "How do you know he won't?"

She only sighed, how many times did they have to play the same game?  Did Jack bluff, or did he tell the truth?  "I saw you sink it.  I know it's not there."

"You saw a locked chest thrown over the side of the Pearl."  

"I didn't see the gold."  She laughed, even though she didn't find anything funny, but she couldn't help it.  She should have seen it coming, but she didn't.  She should have known better, but it she didn't learn the lesson well enough the first time.  

On second thought, how stupid did he think she was?  "You're lying."  

"Pirate."  He reminded her.  

Jack could run circles around her when it came to deception, he might be lying about disposing of the gold, or he could be lying about not disposing of it.  How could she know?  "The treasure is gone Jack.  We got rid of it."  She insisted.  

"You don't know that."  

"You're right, I don't."  She agreed. 

They both looked back up towards the hatch as it reopened and Granger climbed back down the ladder followed by his two henchmen.  Neither of them looked particularly pleased with Ana.  

Granger tossed the keys to henchman number one.  "Take Ana Maria to my cabin and watch that she doesn't get in any trouble."  He ordered.  Ana said nothing as she was dragged to her feet and forced up the ladder.  

Now he turned to Jack.  "I've been thinking about what you said about regrets."  Granger pulled his folded cloth out of his pocket.  "I think I'd be regretting it very much if I didn't ascertain that what you're telling me is the truth."  

The remaining henchman roughly dragged Jack to his feet and pulled his arms behind his back.  

"So we're playing the rope trick again?"  Jack asked.  

"Not this time."  Granger corrected and gestured to an old wooden chair on the other side of the room.  "Tie him there, make sure it's tight."  

Once Granger was satisfied with the restraints, he dismissed his crewman and faced Jack alone.  "Now you will see the skills I've been honing since we last met."  

Ana sat at Granger's table, waiting.  And waiting.  She saw the second man come back up from the hold and felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.  Granger alone in the with Jack could mean only one thing.  

She felt ill.  She didn't care if Jack lied and kept the gold, she didn't care if he only wanted it to look like he lied; she prayed he'd be okay.  They'd get through this, and everything would be okay.  As the sun set on the horizon the dread within Ana's gut grew.

At twilight, Granger finally did emerge.  He stood and stared out at the water, stretched, and lazily walked back to his cabin.  He smiled at Ana, his rotting yellow teeth glinting in the lantern light.  

He smelt the fear coming off her.  "Go see your Sparrow.  Keep him alive till we reach Port Royal."  

He dug out a few rags from a box and tossed them to her.  She didn't wait for the guard to escort her; she walked to the hatch on her own.  Before locking the hatch, the crewman passed her a lantern to see by.  The lantern didn't offer much light and it took her a moment to orientate herself to the darkness and shadows of the hold.  

At the sight of her Captain, she forgot how to breathe.  


	7. Seven

**Chapter 7 in the meantime….**

Don't let the Navy presence fool you.  Port Royal is like any other port on the Caribbean Sea.  It may be a little cleaner, a little quieter, but the place to start or end any travel is still the Tavern.  Molly pulled out a chair and melted into it.  She knew she would find what she wanted here.  That should have filled her with anticipation and energy, but it didn't.   A knot of dread sat heavy in her belly, and in the past few days the closer she came to Port Royal, the worse she felt.  

It could have been bad fish, there were other passengers on that ship feeling ill too, but this was something more.  She knew it.  And she knew it because she held the evidence in her hands.  The folded and crumpled piece of paper in her pocket explained everything, and the fact that she never read it meant nothing.  Not that she didn't want to read it.  It just didn't seem the prudent thing to do on route to Port Royal.  She needed to find an ally, someone she could trust!  

A barmaid passed by.  She looked about the same age as Molly, and just perfect for what Molly had in mind.  

"Hey!"  

The maid paused on her way to the kitchen to look in Molly's direction.  She didn't smile or ask what she could fetch; she simply looked unimpressed by the summons.  

"Come sit for a minute."  

The girl looked towards the kitchen.  "I'm working."

Out from her pocket Molly placed some incentive on the table.  "You have a minute for a break.  Come sit."

The girl sat and placed her hand over top the coin.  "I don't have long."

Molly placed her hand to her pouch ready to offer more incentive if necessary.  "I've a friend in town here I need to find.  Will Turner.  You ever heard of him?"

The girl laughed.  "Who's not?  Famous round here, he is."  

Molly nodded as though agreeing completely with the description of this unknown man.  "So you know where I could find him then?"  

"At his shop most days I imagine.  But then any friend of his would know that, wouldn't they?"  

Molly dropped the coin on the table, and the maid deftly cleaned it up.  "Can you read?"

"Some."  

Taking the chance, Molly placed the paper on the table and gently unfolded it.  "What's it say?" 

The maid frowned, and squinted at the scribbles.  "It's a drawing."  

"I'm not a bloody fool, I can see the drawing.  What about the writing?"

"That words gold."  The maid pointed to the lower right corner.  "And there's a couple names, I think they're names.  It's a warning of some kind to look out for that ship and a man named Granger."  

Molly gripped the table in recognition of that vile name.  "What else?"

"Something about a bird, a sparrow or something."  The girl frowned, and then looked up at Molly's face as understanding dawned.  "It's Jack Sparrow isn't it?"  She nearly jumped out of her chair and Molly grabbed the girl's arm to keep her still as she continued speaking.  "Everyone knows Will Turner and Captain Sparrow are close ever since that spectacle at the gallows way back, it's a treasure map isn't it?  About gold!"  

"Gallows?"

"The pirate was to hang, and indeed he did hang.  But at the last second Will Turner came and saved him.  It's been rumoured they've seen each other since, but no one dares say a word about it.  Turner being of pirate blood and fiancé'd to the Governor's daughter and all.  Who knows what would happen if…"

A truly fascinating story but she'd hear it some other time.  "It is imperative that I see Will Turner right away.  It is also imperative that this story stays between the two of us.  Savvy?  Now, where can I find Turner?"  

After a quick giggle the girl nodded.  She took the extra coin Molly offered and ran off back to the kitchen where Molly assumed she'd be telling everyone there all about the secret she wasn't supposed to tell.  

)))))

Molly barely exited the tavern before crashing headfirst into a brown haired man racing down the street.  

"Are you the Irish girl?"

"What would make you think that?"  She asked, accent strong as ever.  

The man nodded.  "You're looking for me?  Something about Jack Sparrow?"

How could the gossip possibly travel that fast?  She barely spent enough time to finish her drink before going in search and here turned out he searched her out instead.  "Yes."  

She gave him the paper and waited while he stared at it.  "This is it?"

She nodded.  "A woman named Ana Maria trusted it to me.  And now I am trusting it to you."  She watched him turn and start to wander off in the direction he came from.  "Uh, she also said to ask about an Elizabeth Swann."

That made him stop.  "What about her?"

"Just that she might be looking for house staff.  Ana Maria said she'd vouch for me."

Will nodded.  "Then follow me."

He didn't say anything more to her until they walked past the docks.  As he often did, Will looked out to the water to see what ships might be on their way in.  And he saw something familiar.  He reopened the paper and looked at the drawing of the ship, then back up at the ships out in the water.  

No, it couldn't be.  

But it was.  Either the very same ship drawn on the paper was floating just closer than the horizon, or there were two ships exactly the same.  "Do these look similar to you?"  He held the paper out to Molly.  She looked at the drawing, then out to sea. 

"They do."  She took a step towards the water.  "Aye they do.  What is this about Will Turner?  What's that paper say?"

"It's the same ship."  He stated incredulously.  "I've a friend on it."

Molly looked at Will closely.  "It is Sparrow isn't it.  He's being held prisoner by Granger for some kind of gold." 

"Possibly."  He started walking down to the docks, searching the boats there with a keen eye.  Finally he seeded to found what he looked for.  

"Hastings."  He called out. 

An old man looked up from where he weaved netting on the deck on a dilapidated fishing boat.  "Turner?"

"You have a minute?  I need a favour."

))))))))))))))))))))))))

The girl tagged along.  She told some kind of story about Jack saving her life some years ago.  Will barely listened, he knew the futility involved in trying to get a woman not to do what they wanted to do.  If nothing else, being with Elizabeth taught him that much.  Thinking of his fiancé, he felt guilty not including her on this, but there just wasn't time.  He couldn't know how long the ship would be in sight, and considering the fact that she now sat with her future mother in law helping to plan a wedding didn't make him keen on interrupting.  

He made the mistake of interrupting while they talked endlessly about fabrics and lace out of which to make the gowns.  His Elizabeth interested in lacy things and fabrics, who knew?

"When we get there, just stay back."

A crack of what sounded like pistol fire broke the silence.

The Irish girl glared at him.  

"We aren't about to storm the ship.  We just need to know if this is the right one."  He looked towards the ship again.  The closer he got the less he believed the possibility for mistaken identity.  This was the right ship, but he had no idea what to do once he got there.  But then planning was Jack's strength; Will preferred a more direct approach.  

Both Will and Molly stared in shock as a screaming man ran and jumped off the side of the ship.  What the?  Yet another man jumped and started swimming for shore.  

Perhaps Will wouldn't need that much of a plan after all.  

Another man jumped.  

This was not looking good.  

**__**


	8. Eight

**_Chapter Eight the end.  Sort of.  _**

She didn't know where to start.  The knots were slippery with blood, and she couldn't keep her hands from shaking as she struggled to untie them.  As she worked she tried to focus only on the rope, but she found her gaze continued to travel towards his bare chest and arms.  Punctures and gashes dotted his torso, most were small, but the amount of blood testified to the depth of the wounds. 

After five minutes, she freed his right hand.  He didn't move, or stretch, or do anything but stare at her as she continued the battle on his left hand.  As she got used to the unnatural stillness, he began tapping his fingers against the wood.  He tapped a fast tune, if that's what it was, and seemed to be intent on only that one motion.  

She tossed the rope aside when she released his left hand, then knelt to untie the ropes around his ankles.  Still he did not move, and he did not speak either.  She certainly didn't know what to say to him.  She released his right ankle, then the left.  

Free of the rope, Jack stood up with enough force to send the chair flying backwards.  He took three quick steps away then spun to face her.    

"Jack?"  

His eyes darted about the room as though searching for something, and then he stared at the empty space for a moment before turning back to Ana.  

"Do you know where you are?"

After a second, he nodded.  "Yes."  He drew the word out slowly, tasting it. 

At the first sign of instability, Ana rushed to his side to lend support.   Somehow, he didn't see her coming, and by the time he did, it was already too late.  Her hand met the bare skin on his back and the fragile barrier holding the past few hours at bay crumbled.  

Jack sank to his knees as sensation returned to his numbed body.  He remembered every moment in intricate detail, and he wasn't sure he could take it a second time.  A sound filled his ears, unlike any sound he ever heard before.  He identified it as similar to standing under a waterfall, though nothing down here could sound like that.  

A wave of heat encompassed his shoulder as Ana gently touched him in a gesture of comfort, and yet again the touch set off a wave of sensation over his skin.  The room spun.  

He stood up again but couldn't find his balance, but he made it to his feet and even as far as the wall without falling over.  

"Jack."  Ana steadied her voice and approached him slowly.  "Sit down, you're only making the bleeding worse."  

Taking the advice offered, Jack slowly lowered himself to the floor and closed his eyes as she reached to dab his wounds with the cloth.  

Even with his eyes closed, he could see Granger as clear as if the man stood just behind Ana's left shoulder.  "I told him."  Jack said slowly, he knew Granger wasn't there.  Knew it, but couldn't quite grasp the truth enough to stop seeing it. 

"What did you tell him?"  

"Where to find the cave and the gold."  He took several unsteady breaths before continuing.  He told her everything he told Granger about the location; not far from where he tumbled off the wall on the day of his hanging.  He explained about spotting a cave while swimming for the Pearl after narrowly escaping the noose, and he explained about returning weeks later to investigate the cave further.  "Brilliant plan, hide the gold right under the nose the Royal Navy."  

"Is the gold really there Jack?"  

"He wants it to become immortal."

"I know what Granger wants.  But is he going to find the gold when he finds that cave?"  

"I told him where to find it."  Jack said again.  His voice sounded weaker by the second and Ana refused to ask again.  She pressed the rag against the jagged wounds on Jack's chest trying to slow the bleeding; it was all she could do.  

******8

Throughout the night, infection set in.  Jack fell asleep or lost consciousness while she tended his wounds, and by morning, his head burned with fever.  

Aside from keeping him company, Ana couldn't offer much in the way of comfort.  She sat beside him with his head cradled in her lap.  

"You're still here."  He looked up at her, his eyes unfocused and glassy with fever.  

"I'm here."  She agreed.  

"You're not a hat."  He mumbled.  

"Glad you noticed."  

"I need you."  

"You're delusional Jack, try to rest."  

He shook his head, refusing to follow her advise.  "You're the best old hat I've ever had."

"That's nice Jack."  She gently smoothed his hair away from his face.  "Please rest?"

"I lost you."  He reached up and grabbed her hand.  "You were right, there could have been more Ana.  I don't want to lose you again."

"I was never lost Jack."  She leaned down and gently brushed her lips to his.  "I'm yours, and I'm never leaving you again.  I promise."  

"I lied to you, and you left because you don't trust me.  You did right for yourself."  He shut his eyes and struggled unsuccessfully to sit up.  

"It doesn't matter."  She promised.  "You're a pirate remember, it's what pirates do."  He grew still again after that.  Once she believed him to be asleep, she kissed his lips one more time.  "You're a delusional pirate, and I love you."  

Granger came back shortly after, and his men came with him.  

Ana didn't abandon her Captain willingly.  She stood between Jack and Granger and fought what she knew to be a hopeless battle; she was no match against the three of them.  One man held her arms back while the other grabbed Jack to drag him to his feet.  

The pirate looked ready to faint, and his attack took everyone by surprise.  His swung his fist and everyone heard the sickeningly wet crunch of cartilage as the crewman's nose folded to his face, but Jack wasn't through yet.  He spun and bent his arm with the elbow raised, this attack he aimed at Granger.  Jack made the hit, his elbow caught Granger in the neck just above the collarbone.  Granger stumbled back and fell to his knees gasping for breath.  

However, the effort of the attack sapped the strength from him, and he stumbled from the effort.  Ana screamed Jack's name.  The crewman with the broken nose rose to his feet and swung his boot into Jack's ribs, and even after Jack fell the beating continued.  Ana begged the man to stop before killing his victim.  When begging didn't work, she called him ten different kinds of coward, and cursed his relatives.  Still choking, Granger pushed himself up.  

"Get him in the chair."  He then turned to Ana.  "And get her out of here."  

######6##############

They tied her hands behind her back and marched her to the forecastle deck.  She struggled against the bonds until the coarse rope cut through the flesh of her wrists and her hands became slippery with blood.  The pain didn't slow her struggles, and the lack of a plan mattered not at all.  She needed to free herself, but the ropes held tight and though perhaps she felt a little give in them, she could not get her hands free.  

Slowly, the shores of Port Royal rolled into view.  

From where she sat, she could not see the hatch, but she heard it open when Granger came back on deck.  The activity on the ship increased with his re-emergence, but still Ana could see no details.  Not until the man climbed up to the forecastle deck, and then she saw that he looked smug and satisfied as he glared down at her.  

"Soon, pet."  He promised.  Ana didn't understand and didn't care what he meant.  

"Where's Jack?"  

Grangers turned back a moment and snapped his fingers.  The crewman with the broken nose came into view, and Jack was with him.  The fact that he still lived lightened Ana's heart for only a second.  He did not look good.  The wounds from the day before were reopened and seeping, and now too she could see further injuries.  More gashes and punctures riddled his body, and now the damage extended along his arms, neck, and back.  

"Ready the long boat, we're going treasure hunting!"  Granger remarked jovially and wrapped his arms around his ample belly to jiggle his stomach in anticipation.  "Sparrow will come with me."  He looked around to assess his crew, and picked three to accompany him.  

The cliffs in the distance looked dark and foreboding against the bright blue sky, and Granger stared out towards them as his crew prepared for the excursion.  Once everything came into place he returned his attention back to the small gathering before him.  

"Well my dear, this is it."  He stepped close to Ana to run his hand along her hair.  She held her head high and regal, she would not let this monster intimidate her so easily.  

He smiled, and made his way back to Jack and his waiting crew.  "So here we are."  He took a pistol off one of his men and weighted it in his hand.  "It's been fun Ana Maria, but seeing as the game is nearly finished, you're usefulness has come to an end."  

He extended his arm and aimed.  

Showing the first sign of life since being dragged up on deck, Jack opened his eyes.  Seeing Granger aim the weapon at Ana overrode all else.  Over the pain, over the fever, Jack's thoughts travelled back to the feather light feel of her lips on his.  In the confusion of his thoughts he heard her voice, specifically the words she spoke earlier when she thought he didn't hear.  I love you.  

Granger's finger flexed.  

It happened too quickly.  The sound of the pistol firing shattered Jack right down to the soul.  Time stopped; the blood on Ana's temple encompassed Jack's vision.  She fell, and the blood from the wound ran down her face.  She lay still, twisted in an unnatural position on her side.  

Granger killed Ana.  She was dead.  

A deep consuming anger rose from within and he felt no more pain, no more exhaustion weighing him down.  The crewman standing behind Jack became nothing more than an obstacle to be dealt with, and Jack dealt with him swiftly by throwing his head backwards right into the already broken nose.  The man fell, and Jack found himself free.  

Without hesitation, Jack turned to Granger.  With the pistol's one bullet already spent, Jack reached for the cutlass hanging from Granger's belt, but before he could use it, another crewman attacked from behind.  The stroke meant for Granger found a place in that crewman instead.  For his part, Granger did not waste time gawking; he ducked low and pulled a knife from his belt.  With Jack's attention focused elsewhere, he found the opportunity he needed and thrust the blade deep into the back of the pirate's thigh.  

It might as well have been a bee sting.  Jack stumbled slightly but the wound did not slow him down, if anything the added pain fed his rage.  The knife remained embedded in his thigh as Jack turned to face his enemy.  Granger's heart sped with fear as he saw his death in the eyes of the man standing over him.    

However, he didn't die.  Just as Jack brought the blade arching downwards towards Granger's neck, his attention shifted and he used the momentum to parry a blade wielded by a crewman to the left instead.  Captain Adams knew his luck would not hold, and took the opportunity to make his escape.  

Time no longer held any meaning, and Jack lost count of the men who fell beneath his rage.  Some small part of his consciousness screamed in protest against the bloodshed, but it did no good.  Any who dared cross blades with the pirate that day discovered the strength of a man possessed, and seeing their crewmates fall, most chose escape over death.

Those who fled, he did not pursue.  He was driven by a feral rage, and that rage sought only one man.  The one man it could not locate.  

In all things now, Jack failed.  He lost Ana, lost her trust and lost her life.  The trust part he lost long ago.  Lost it in Ana, and lost it in Will Turner.  The only two people who ever thought to reach out to him for friendship, he betrayed.  He'd thought there'd be time to gain back the trust he lost, but Granger changed that with one bullet.  

The ship grew quiet as the last able-bodied crewman on board jumped overboard into the water.  He turned and caught sight of one more man standing silent by the gunwale.  Jack blinked.  Will Turner held his sword ready to defend himself if need be, and Jack knew that if justice existed in the universe, this would spell his end.  He wanted it to end.  

Authors note:  This is the end of only MY part of this story.  It continues in a new fic written by Jackfan2.  She'll tell you all about what comes next, promise!  

_Great thanks to jackfan2 for the beta reading and co-conspiriting._

And everyone who reviewed and kept reading even though things never did get cheerful.  I have another fic coming out soon, much less depressing.  Honest.  

But Please, I'd still love to know what you though of this one…  


	9. To be continued in new story

This isn't it folks. Jackfan2 is writing the actual ending of this fic and don't worry, everything will be as it should be.   
  
I would never leave my favourite couple hanging like that. There will be a reckoning.   
  
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1560201  
  
read and enjoy! 


End file.
